Every year, during on-field drills at the NFL Combine, Hall-of-Famer Deion Sanders re-tells a story of how during his Combine in 1989, he would refuse to interview with any team not picking in the Top-5 of the draft because there was no way he was dropping any further than that.
As it turns out, Sanders was correct: he was drafted fifth overall by the Atlanta Falcons.
With limited opportunities to conduct official interviews, players and teams will often be diligent, but stingy, in who they choose to spend their valuable time with.
With the most elite prospects, teams will often not pursue a player most don’t anticipate will be available to them. This could be because they don’t believe they have a chance to land said player, or they are putting up a smokescreen trying to disguise intentions.
This situation appears to be playing out once again this year with Ohio State EDGE rusher Chase Young, as NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that “no teams past (the) Lions” have reached out to Young for a pre-draft interview.
While the #Redskins have opened up the possibility of taking a QB at No. 2, appears other teams believe #OSU DE Chase Young will be gone second or at worst, No. 3. No teams past #Lions have reached out to him. Either lying in wait… or teams past 3 think they have no shot at him.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 8, 2020
With the Cincinnati Bengals drafting LSU quarterback Joe Burrow a near lock, that leaves Washington and the Detroit Lions as Young’s most likely suitors.
If Washington elects to trade out of the two spot, it’s possible a team who has been laying a smokescreen targets Young and executes a trade. But with several quarterback-needy teams also picking at the top of the draft, it’s just as likely a team trading up is targeting Tua Tagovailoa (QB, Alabama) or Justin Herbert (QB, Oregon).
If a quarterback does get selected at pick No. 2 overall, expect the Lions to draft Young.
The Lions have routinely been connected to Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah or accepting a trade down scenario, — both very appealing options — but make no mistake, if Young is available at pick No. 3, all indications are he will be wearing Honolulu Blue.